The Skirt vs The Pant

A couple weeks ago my husband randomly asked me if I prefer jeans or long skirts/dresses. I knew right off that the answer was long skirts and dresses, but it of course is way more complicated than that. Which has in turn lead to a lot of thinking. 

I'm 24 years old and I think it's safe to say I've spent most of my life wearing some form of denim. And I like it, I think it's comfortable, I have even been known to sleep in my jeans. I like a good pair of jeans and if it's cold and snowy or really wet or I'm going hiking or any other active activity I will probably always choose a pair of jeans. 

On the other hand, more particularly since I've gotten older I find that I actually like skirts better, especially long full skirts. Beyond the fact that it's actually healthier for woman to wear skirts (there are tons of resources for this so I'm not going to bother citing any unless someone asks) and the fact that they're comfortable, I honestly like the way they look better and how they feel when I walk in them or sit in them.  Also you don't have to worry about the material wearing thin between your legs, thus a skirt will last a lot longer then a pair of pants (p.s. Unless you have thin model type legs, this is pretty much always an issue).

I read a quote a month or two ago by a woman named Tasha Tudor, she said “Why do woman want to dress like men when they are fortunate enough to be woman? Why lose femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get more accomplished by being charming then we would by flaunting around in pants and smoking. I am very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don't want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error…”                                                                                                                                        Now of course I know first hand the practicality of wearing pants, but I still find it sad that they have become so common. I will still have a couple pairs of pants, but I think I'm going to add more skirts and dresses to my wardrobe this year.

* all photos can be found on my Pinterest board, My Dream Closet.

Being Intentional

I mentioned in my post about the Miracle gel nail polish that I was trying to be more intentional with my life. I feel like it's really easy when you become a mom, especially a stay at home mom to get a bit shall we say lazy or lax with your life. Now when I was a teenager I was very intentional about my appearance, I wasn't over the top but I was intentional. I brushed my hair and put on at least eyeliner everyday and I would take ages in my closet finding what I wanted to wear, I think I owned one pair of sweatpants and I never wore them.

Now as a stay home it's easy to find myself wearing the same shirt 3 days in a row with badly chipped nail polish, dry skin, hair that hasn't been brushed and no make up and really, really not caring. But that reality has started to bother me recently. Not just my indifference towards my appearance, but my indifference towards a lot of things, from my appearance, to my health, to relationships. I remembered recently a time when I was in college and God challenged me to "fast" make up for a week, and it was actually really hard because I had gotten to the point where I cared to much. Now though I feel the pendulum has swung to far in the opposite direction and I'm needing to pull it down to a normal place again.

So this years resolution is to be more intentional. I am not going to wait till Newyears to make it either, 'cause let's face it there is no time like the present. We signed a contract for our new place today, lots of change is coming and it's going to be a good season. 

So I challenge you, any of you ... If you are feeling lazy about your life, make a change and make this the year of intentionality.

Miracle Gel Review

I love nail polish, but it doesn't really love me ... well not enough to stick around when the going gets tough. I'm naturally rough on my nails, though not as bad as I use to be. I work my with hands a lot, washing dishes, gardening, making things and taking them apart, I use my nails to pick poke and pry on a pretty regular bases. It should come as no surprise that I usually can't make it more then a day before my freshly painted nails start chipping round the edges.

Recently I decided that I need to grow up a bit and start being more intentional about certain things, like my nails. I know if I don't take care of them they will be gross, so I bought some gloves for gardening and some for washing dishes and I'm going to do my best to be intentional about my hands (and feet). I also finally decided to try Sally Hanson's Miracle Gel nail polish and see how well it works.

                

This is Sally Hanson Miracle Gel in Birthday Suit two coats with one layer of Miracle Gel top coat. I was really impressed by how nice and smooth it went on, and the quick dry time, not only that but it didn't start chipping till day four! My only complaint is that I didn't realize I was going to have to buy a special nail polish remover to get the gel polish off. Otherwise I really like it!

* update - it does come off with regular remover you just have to rub extra hard and long.

Miracle Gel Review

I love nail polish, but it doesn't really love me ... well not enough to stick around when the going gets tough. I'm naturally rough on my nails, though not as bad as I use to be. I work my with hands a lot, washing dishes, gardening, making things and taking them apart, I use my nails to pick poke and pry on a pretty regular bases. It should come as no surprise that I usually can't make it more then a day before my freshly painted nails start chipping round the edges.

Recently I decided that I need to grow up a bit and start being more intentional about certain things, like my nails. I know if I don't take care of them they will be gross, so I bought some gloves for gardening and some for washing dishes and I'm going to do my best to be intentional about my hands (and feet). I also finally decided to try Sally Hanson's Miracle Gel nail polish and see how well it works.

                

This is Sally Hanson Miracle Gel in Birthday Suit two coats with one layer of Miracle Gel top coat. I was really impressed by how nice and smooth it went on, and the quick dry time, not only that but it didn't start chipping till day four! My only complaint is that I didn't realize I was going to have to buy a special nail polish remover to get the gel polish off. Otherwise I really like it!

* update - it does come off with regular remover you just have to rub extra hard and long.